The state test scores the Register Star is looking at today and in the weeks to come are radically different than those of previous years.

On the surface, it looks as though ...

» Read more

X

What's going on

The state test scores the Register Star is looking at today and in the weeks to come are radically different than those of previous years.On the surface, it looks as though elementary and middle school students tested much worse than their cohorts from 2012.The state and school districts have been bracing parents for the release of this data for months, assuring them that schools didn't suddenly get bad.The truth, officials said, is that state test scores for elementary and middle school students were not being assessed in the same college- and career-readiness way as the high school scores for years, and that needed to change.District leaders need as much advance warning about struggling schools and students as possible so they can start intervention at the earliest age. Elementary and middle school scores that focus on basic skills success rather than how well those children are being prepared for college or work were doing more harm than good, officials said.The year marks the launch of the new scores.

The state also introduced more Common Core State Standards questions into this test, which educators view as more rigorous, said Matt Zickert, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

These two factors caused the district's ISAT scores to drop from 82.1 percent of students who met or exceeded the Illinois Learning Standards in 2011-12 to 57.2 percent in 2012-13, according to report cards listed on the School District's website. The state performed around 82.5 percent in 2011-12 and 58.8 percent in 2012-13.

"Staying even or getting better may be a pretty positive thing because it's a harder test," Zickert said.

According to the 2011-12 report cards, 69.9 percent of Lincoln students met or exceeded the Illinois Learning Standards, compared with the state's 82.5 percent. The most recent data show that 55.4 percent of Lincoln students met this mark while 58.8 percent of students across the state did.

Principal Beth Marchini said her team changed the way it addressed the needs of students who were falling behind.

Interventionists used to pull students from science and social science classes to spend extra time on math and reading. But educators didn't target the specific reasons why students weren't understand the concepts.

Now students are broken into groups, like those that focus on maintaining information or enrichment, to address what's causing the misunderstanding. Teachers also altered their problem-solving process to better monitor this group's progress.

"We make sure the intervention they are receiving matches exactly what they need," Marchini said.